"It hurts to hear you say that, my beautiful wife..."
The moment those words reached Mu Lingxi's ears, she sprang up from her seat in shock. But before she could make a move, the man's voice echoed from behind her.
"Hm, you're in such a hurry..."
Startled, she turned around only to find him standing right there.
She attempted to flee again, but his gentle hand on her shoulder halted her in her tracks.
"You don't need to run away, you know," he said calmly, his voice as smooth as silk.
Mu Lingxi recoiled at his touch, swatting his hand away as she confronted him. "Cloudcrest, what are you doing here?" she demanded, heavy irritation weighing on her voice.
The man before her was Emperor Cloudcrest.
A True Celestial.
He had long white hair and wore a flowing white robe with a transparent veil over his head. His facial features were soft and attractive, and he had a red, finger-nail sized birthmark on his forehead. His eyes appeared either grey or golden, depending on the brightness of his surroundings. But what stood out the most about him was the aura that surrounded him.
It was powerful and overwhelming, making him seem like a benevolent entity and, at the same time, a murderous ancient beast.
Cloudcrest sighed, his white hair framing his face as he spoke. "What else? I came to see my wife, the love of my life, only to find her pining over another man," he replied. With a voice so gentle, one couldn't hear the disappointment in his tone.
Mu Lingxi placed her hands on her hips defiantly. "And how is that any of your business?" she retorted frustratedly. "Wasn't there an agreement that you wouldn't come see me until—"
But Cloudcrest interrupted her. "The plans have changed," his words were as serious as his expression was grave. "If we don't engage in union soon, I'll perish."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "I... is it really that serious?" she asked with a slightly trembling voice. "Didn't Sacred-Emperor promise to find a solution to retrieve your true heart?"
Emperor Cloudcrest shook his head solemnly. "Our plans to create a Celestial Star Core failed," he explained, his gaze dropping to the ground. "I was supposed to merge with a deserted star region in the eastern domain of the Eternal Lands, but a cultivator..."
"A cultivator what?"
"A cultivator beat me to it."
Mu Lingxi folded her arms skeptically. She fixed her piercing, big brown eyes on him. "I find that hard to believe," she stated firmly.
"Y... You think I'm lying?"
"Precisely." Mu Lingxi simply nodded.
"For what reason, I ju..."
"Yes," Cloudcrest confirmed. "I suspect it's some kind of unique cultivation technique..."
Mu Lingxi then told him, "It's not."
Her face turned serious as she prepared to leave.
Cloudcrest grabbed her wrist and asked, "Where're you going? Didn't you just hear everything I said? I need us to perform the marital union as soon as possible..."
Mu Lingxi glared at him and snapped, "Don't you dare touch me again." She yanked her hand free and stormed off.
"Insolent woman..."
His voice was chillingly calm, yet menacing.
Cloudcrest extended his hand towards her retreating figure, conjuring a golden sphere in his palm.
He launched the golden sphere at high-speed towards Mu Lingxi.
She simply turned to face the oncoming sphere, causing it to abruptly stop in its tracks.
It was frozen in time.
Confused, Cloudcrest exclaimed, "What?!" As he focused on the motionless sphere, he realized Mu Lingxi was nowhere to be seen.
Unbeknownst to him, Mu Lingxi was ascending rapidly into the sky, breaking through the clouds until she reached a vantage point where stars dotted the sky very clearly.
There, she slowly extended her arms, summoning forth a Divine Spirit Phantom.
A colossal, ethereal black asura-like entity adorned with golden tribal marks across its body manifested!
It mirrored her every movement with grace.
Like a rocket, Mu Lingxi and her Divine Spirit Phantom descended upon Cloudcrest.
BOOOOOM!!!
The Phantom's fist struck first, carving a massive valley through a significant portion of Tiancheng City. Intentionally missing Cloudcrest by mere inches, the imprint of the Divine Spirit Phantom remained—a colossal fist crater.
It was a fearful, life-threatening sight, but Cloudcrest was completely unfazed.
With a gaze filled with pure malice, Mu Lingxi warned Cloudcrest, "I won't hesitate to end you if you ever mention our supposed fated marriage again. I refuse to be a pawn in your evolution. Now, make yourself scarce." Without giving Cloudcrest a chance to respond, she turned on her heel and departed.
Emperor Cloudcrest was left speechless...